Earlier this week, BMW M introduced a brand new engineering boss in a single Alexander Karajlovic. Karajlovic takes over for a person named Dirk Häcker, a reputation you may simply acknowledge for those who’ve been paying fairly shut consideration. In actual fact, Häcker has been working at BMW longer than I’ve been alive, which isn’t one thing a man in his thirties will get to say fairly often. With an unbelievable 37-year tenure comes, maybe inevitably, a portfolio of labor that doesn’t simply communicate for itself, however for the model Häcker helped form — and, to some extent, for the person himself.
A Legacy of Management
Over the past decade or so, Häcker has crammed varied engineering management positions at BMW M. Main growth at M since 2015, he performed an integral function in shaping a few of the most superior M vehicles so far. Maybe tellingly, his tenure in management began in driving dynamics. What higher match for a future M engineering chief? Much more notably, Häcker is an skilled driver. He’s served as a long-term driving teacher for the BMW Driving Expertise — which tracks (no pun supposed) along with his repute on the firm for being a improbable driver. Which is probably one other fortuitous coincidence, as that’s precisely what Franciscus van Meel — BMW M CEO — requires from an individual doing the job Häcker ended up with.
Franciscus van Meel is one other outstanding coincidence in Häcker’s profession. The 2 met earlier than van Meel had come to BMW in 2014 — tedly someday within the mid-Nineties when van Meel was at Continental. So — van Meel was provider aspect. Frank was working at Continental Automotive Providers on applied sciences just like the ESC. Van Meel as soon as informed us that he developed the soundness management for the E46 M3 with Häcker. Based on folks shut them, Häcker would unrelentingly push for higher and higher merchandise. There wasn’t any means of realizing it on the time, however van Meel would then convey Häcker on practically 20 years later at BMW as a head of R&D.
Häcker’s first challenge in his 11-year tenure as lead of BMW M engineering was formally the BMW M8. Nonetheless, when he began, he informed us he needed to take the F90 M5 — then a brand new product — to new heights. The F90 M5 Competitors and F90 M5 CS adopted. Then we acquired the F87 M2 Competitors and M2 CS, G81 M3 Touring, M3/M4 CS and M4 CSL, and much more thrilling merchandise that we get pleasure from at this time. Even some cooler ones that by no means noticed the manufacturing line. Typically, we suspect his behind the wheel expertise has rather a lot to do with why all of these vehicles deal with and cease considerably higher than a automobile that measurement has any actual enterprise doing.
We did get the XM as effectively, one thing we at all times used to convey up in conversations with him, as a means of poking enjoyable.
And we nonetheless have but to drive a few of the different issues Häcker developed. He labored on the aggressive Observe Bundle for the prevailing G87 M2. He additionally developed the upcoming however formally unconfirmed M2 xDrive. Another fascinating wait-and-sees embrace the G84 M3 and ZA0 M3, each of that are on the way in which however received’t hit the marketplace for one other few years. Similar goes for the X3 M and X4 M electrical. So if the M5 CS is any indicator, one of the best is but to come back.
Dirk Häcker’s Lasting Affect and Private Anecdotes
Häcker’s title pops up fairly often for those who take a look at our content material over the previous couple of years. It’s logical: his candid, soft-spoken nature and fluency in each technical jargon and its layperson equivalents made him a “go-to” for Horatiu, BMWBLOG’s Editor in Chief. “He by no means thought a query was foolish,” Horatiu informed me. “Despite the fact that I might at all times probe him on weight and loss of life of manuals.” He indulged Horatiu with private ardour initiatives, just like the M2 CSL dream BMW.
“He referred to as it the M2 CSL Armageddon Version, as a result of I put each single want of mine in it, one thing realistically not potential.” Being from Augsburg and an ardent supporter of the native soccer membership was one other private connection for Horatiu, an FC Augsburg jersey enjoyer. Arguably much more vital, Häcker at all times requested for suggestions. He’d bounce questions on electrical automobile racing, or which vehicles put a smile on Horatiu’s face.
Almost 4 many years is objectively a very long time to do something. We’re glad Häcker selected to spend it with BMW, the place it’s clear his engineering skills and talent to speak passionately in regards to the vehicles all of us care a lot about weren’t wasted. Häcker performed an integral half in bringing arguably one of the best trendy M automobile to market — the M5 CS — and within the course of cemented his legacy with the automaker.
Farewell, Dirk Häcker — thanks for the vehicles, quotes, and the whole lot in between. And listed here are a few of the movies we filmed collectively through the years:
